ProfessorBarbara Holland
Professor
Mathematics
Orcid identifier0000-0002-4628-7938 (opens in a new tab)
- ProfessorMathematics
- +61 3 6226 1990 (Work)
- School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, 460 Maths-Physics Building, Sandy Bay Campus, TAS
BIO
Barbara Holland is a Professor in the discipline of Mathematics within the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Tasmania, Australia. She lectures mostly in Statistics.
Barbara applies mathematics and statistics to problems in evolutionary biology or population genetics. In particular, her research has focused on problems in phylogenetics. She is interested in developing tools that can assess if sequence data is well explained by a simple tree model or if more complex processes such as hybridisation, recombination or convergent selection are at work. The areas of mathematics/statistics that she uses frequently include stochastic models, continuous time Markov chains, combinatorial optimization, maximum likelihood, and simulation.
Biography
Barbara completed a PhD in Mathematical Biology at Massey University in New Zealand followed by postdoctoral studies at the Ruhr Universität Bochum (Germany) and in the Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution (New Zealand). Prior to joining the University of Tasmania she worked as a Mathematics lecturer and researcher at Massey University.
Since beginning her PhD she has enjoyed the challenge of working with biologists in trying to translate the problems they face into the language of mathematics. Biology is awash with data since the advent of DNA sequencing technology and this has opened up a range of very interesting research questions that require a combination of skills from mathematics, biology and computer science.
Career summary
Qualifications
PhD Evolutionary analyses of large data sets: Trees and beyond Massey University New Zealand 11/2/2002
BInfSc (1st Class Hons) Massey University New Zealand 31/12/1997
BSc Massey University New Zealand 31/12/1996
Memberships
Professional practice
Society of Systematic Biologists
Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution
Administrative expertise
Barbara is currently the co-Associate Head of Research for the School of Natural Sciences. She has previously been the head of the Discipline for Mathematics.
Barbara applies mathematics and statistics to problems in evolutionary biology or population genetics. In particular, her research has focused on problems in phylogenetics. She is interested in developing tools that can assess if sequence data is well explained by a simple tree model or if more complex processes such as hybridisation, recombination or convergent selection are at work. The areas of mathematics/statistics that she uses frequently include stochastic models, continuous time Markov chains, combinatorial optimization, maximum likelihood, and simulation.
Biography
Barbara completed a PhD in Mathematical Biology at Massey University in New Zealand followed by postdoctoral studies at the Ruhr Universität Bochum (Germany) and in the Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution (New Zealand). Prior to joining the University of Tasmania she worked as a Mathematics lecturer and researcher at Massey University.
Since beginning her PhD she has enjoyed the challenge of working with biologists in trying to translate the problems they face into the language of mathematics. Biology is awash with data since the advent of DNA sequencing technology and this has opened up a range of very interesting research questions that require a combination of skills from mathematics, biology and computer science.
Career summary
Qualifications
PhD Evolutionary analyses of large data sets: Trees and beyond Massey University New Zealand 11/2/2002
BInfSc (1st Class Hons) Massey University New Zealand 31/12/1997
BSc Massey University New Zealand 31/12/1996
Memberships
Professional practice
Society of Systematic Biologists
Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution
Administrative expertise
Barbara is currently the co-Associate Head of Research for the School of Natural Sciences. She has previously been the head of the Discipline for Mathematics.
SCHOOL AND PORTFOLIO
- School of Natural Sciences